Abcam is a leading web based business supplying research tools to life scientists worldwide. Our head office is in Cambridge (UK), we also have offices in Cambridge, Eugene and San Francisco (USA), Tokyo (Japan), Hangzhou, andShanghai (China), and Hong ... Read more

Abcam – Why Work For Us?

What it's like to work at Abcam

We exist to serve life scientists to achieve their mission faster. And we are constantly on the lookout for better ways of doing that. After all, we all share the challenge of making it happen. We listen to each other, we respect everyone’s backgrounds, and we work together in everything. That’s why we offer the kind of opportunities, support and benefits that help everyone feel encouraged and empowered at Abcam.

Socialising

We have a dedicated Social Committee made of enthusiastic internal volunteers who are always in the look-out for the next cool event to organise. There’s an event for every interest and it’s entirely up to you if you wish to join! Recent social events have included Social Mini Golf, Quiz Nights, Board Games Night, Thursday Social Drinks on Abcam, Running Groups, Christmas jumper Day, Hallowe'en Dress-Up, Yearly Summer Barbecue amongst others.

A flexible approach

At Abcam we understand the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Which is why we encourage and promote flexible working wherever possible. Our teams are used to work in collaboration to ensure flexible working opportunities work for everyone while maintaining the business effectiveness at all times.

Corporate social responsibility

Our work enables scientists to study biology and develop treatment for major diseases. But that doesn’t mean we stop there. We’re relentlessly focused and we know there’s still more we can do for our community and our planet. That’s where our Corporate Social Responsibility comes in.

The idea for Abcam came early in 1998 out of a laboratory in the University of Cambridge, UK. The principal founder Jonathan Milner was working as a Post-Doctoral researcher studying the newly discovered breast cancer protein BRCA2 in Professor Tony Kouzarides' laboratory. The project slowed because of problems finding quality antibody reagents that had honest and up to date information about their uses and limitations. It was frustrating. It was then that Jonathan and a number of other people in the laboratory, came up with the idea for a web-based antibody company of like-minded scientists. Tony invented the name which is a hybrid of antibody (ab) and Cambridge (cam). The idea was that Abcam would sell the best antibodies in the world with the most comprehensive, honest and up-to-date datasheets, fast delivery and helpful customer service & technical support. It was a tough vision!

A lucky break came when Jonathan met and discussed the idea with Dr David Cleevely (a Cambridge telecoms entrepreneur) who was smart (or some said crazy!) enough to join him in the venture. So in the summer of 1998, Jonathan left the world of academia to work full-time on Abcam, which he describes as the scariest thing he has ever done. Initially Abcam had a small amount of money from David, family, friends and Jonathan (after re-mortgaging his house; he has a very understanding wife!), but they realized that they needed a big injection of capital to build a website to accomplish the vision and increase production of Abcam's own antibodies. A business plan was written and the Directors went out confidently to raise money from venture capitalists. However, the next couple of years were really tough as Abcam struggled to convince the VCs that a viable business could be built from such an idealistic vision.

Things were looking really bleak and Abcam needed to get some sales quickly, so Jonathan took an ice-bucket full of popular antibodies around the University of Cambridge laboratories in order to get friends and colleagues to buy them, which they did (thanks guys!). Hence the legend of Abcam's humble beginnings from an ice-bucket was born!

Our first notable successes arrived in the early part of the new millenium: Chromatin antibodies, loading control antibodies and GFP antibodies. Then we had two further lucky breaks. First, some local business angels (people from the Cambridge business community who wish to help technology businesses get started) were convinced to invest and second, some like-minded scientists and talented individuals were recruited (who form the basis of Abcam's management team today) and this succeeded in boot-strapping the company through those difficult times. Of course there was also tremendous determination to prove that those venture capitalists were wrong and that a successful profitable company, that would also make a valuable contribution to life science researchers, could be built on such a business plan.

A lot of researchers ask where we got the idea for Molly the sheep. It was simply because Dolly the sheep was making headline news at the time, so we created the body out of a molecular space fill model and gave her antibody legs, and thus the molecular Dolly became Abcam's Molly.

If you are one of the many scientists that now buy from Abcam and use the website, we would like to know what you think: Are we polite and friendly? Do our products work as you would expect? Was the website useful? How could we do better? You can contact us here with your comments and we look forward to hearing from you.

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We support scientific breakthroughs that benefit everyone, and we make sure all our colleagues, their partners and their families benefit from that exceptional work. Below are just some of the benefits you’ll enjoy at Abcam, dependent on your role and location:

Social events including summer barbecues as well as extensive sports and gaming clubs, all company-subsidized

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Development, Development, Development

We think it’s important to think differently. To leave complacency at the door, and always aim higher. That goes for our careers too. Come to Abcam, and you’ll find opportunities to grow and develop.

At Abcam, we do everything we can to adapt and evolve our skills as a team. Use our Career Development Fund to study for a new qualification that hones your talent. Find support to learn and grow on our Mentoring Scheme. Or join the New Manager Program or the Abcam Leadership Program, where you’ll develop your knowledge and empower yourself to make a greater impact.

Start your career in a global life-science business the right way!

Apprentices – Entry level (UK)

If you’re aged 16 or over, joining Abcam as an Apprentice is a fantastic way to get paid to get real business experience – and a brilliant opportunity to start your career at a successful corporation with a huge global footprint! From apprenticeships in the Laboratory, Logistics, IT, Facilities to apprenticeships in HR, Finance, Marketing, Sales and Legal, we’ve got your interests covered!

Experienced trainees

If you have got a first experience in a specific field and keen to take your learning journey further, then check out our uniquely tailored Trainee opportunities!

#Big things are happening at Abcam every day so whatever your role, your work will support scientific discovery!

Current Employee - Talent Acquisition in Cambridge, East of England, England

Current Employee - Talent Acquisition in Cambridge, East of England, England

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

I have been working at Abcam full-time (Less than a year)

Pros

I recently joined the Abcam team in Cambridge and have only positive things to say. The company have a lot to offer:

- A thorough interview and onboarding process- All employees get a half day induction when they start- Lots of training material and resources available from day one- Very welcoming staff- Lots of employee perks/benefits- Flexible working environment- Rapid growth- Beautiful new offices- Opportunity to progress- Passionate employees who want to make a difference

I would recommend Abcam to anyone looking for a career move into a progressive company where they can make a difference!

Difficulty 32 Ratings

Difficulty

Interviewing at Abcam

I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 4+ weeks. I interviewed at Abcam in January 2014.

Interview

The whole process took about 2 hours. It's a two part interview, first part you demonstrate your technical skills and the second part you talk to an HR and go through a list of behaviour based questions.

Follow Abcam

Glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it's like to work at Abcam, including salaries, reviews, office photos, and more. This is the Abcam company profile. All content is posted anonymously by employees working at Abcam.